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We need a coach that can recruit. Period. Irons is a player. He can almost singlehandedly win football games. Dollard was a player. He could almost singlehandedly will football games. Mathison, while not at their level, is a player. After that...all our present players are essentially interchangeable. There's no other Arth-recruited talent on our roster that ANY other MAC program would want, let alone a P5 program. Yeah, you can see flashes of potential here and there from a DB or WR...but we are flat-out woefully short on talent. The proof: 0-4 MAC teams that lost to Duquesne curb-stomp us on our home field. You want linemen that are big, strong and agile. Our lines are small, slow and unathletic. Ditto the linebackers. It isn't will, or scheme, or conditioning that gets us pushed around the field. We're just smaller and less talented than all our opponents. Arth made the decision to build the program predominately with youth. It has hurt. Bowden had the same choice when he arrived, and liberally supplemented his classes with transfers. He once said (paraphrased) - "If we only recruit freshmen, we'll get killed and I'll just be recruiting the next coach's kids. AD's don't wait 5 years for you to win now-a-days." Can't argue with that. Transfers like Williams, Marcus, Davis, Coe and Natson were the types of impact P5 transfers we needed to start winning games at Akron. However, he also recruited NFL talent like Gilbert, Kyron Brown and Jatavis Brown out of high school. Maybe Council lands in the NFL too? I predicted 1 win when this season began. Irons' play made me hopeful we could possibly see two...but it's not going to happen. Lee Owens was a marginal coach (see him sitting at 2-2 at Ashland right now). But with a decaying off campus stadium and zero facilities he recruited the likes of Frye, Hixon, Blackburn, Payne, Hendry, Dwight Smith, Matt Cherry and many other solid, fun-to-watch players. Several landed in the NFL. Bowden once said - "We need to find a way to win at Akron." He also said - "Sometimes the local HS programs know you too well. Kids from Florida don't know Akron from Kent or BG, so that's where we need to recruit until we get better." It's true. I see zero value in making local recruiting a major emphasis right now. Of all the players I listed above as NFL caliber...how many were from Akron? Hendry was from North Canton. That's it. There is a way to win at Akron. It starts with identifying and recruiting talent. Period. Then lather, rinse, and repeat. There's no other option.

The obsession with defending Bowden is just weird. He's gone. Arth will be gone. Wistricill is gone. Wiliams is gone. Now it all falls onto Guthrie.

I work at Pearl Harbor. Send me a jersey and I'll find out how well it goes over!

Ugh what a huge disappointment. It was 100% absurd that the defense could not stop the Ohio QC who was essentially a Tim Tebow. Everyone knew he was going to run the ball every snap, and each time it would be successful. It was so frustrating. This team does not face adversity well. When something against the grain happens against them, they can't seem to recover. Same thing happened against Temple, had a lead and then adversity hit and they couldn't recover. I've wanted to see Arth succeed as he seems like a reasonable guy and of course it would mean the Zips are good, but him and his coaching staff seem to be in over their head at this level. I don't know what the answer is, but I don't think the Zips are going to be relevant under Arth, unfortunately.

Once the emotion leaves the room, the decision comes down to $$, a pros and cons list, and whether more damage will be done to the school and program by keeping Arth or letting him go. Almost all universities lose $$ on athletics. So while KSU or BSU or whoever have an uptick in the winning % their football programs aren't necessarily bringing in any more money than Akron's. Akron made $3.6 mill in pay to play. If another MAC school only earned $3.3, Akron is still probably ahead of them for the year. I would say let him finish out the year.

An All-MAC player who decided to transfer here to not be a starter would be quite the surprise.........I'd bet a lot against it.

I'd personally rather give Arth more time to grow and adjust as well as his players more time to gain experience and develop in lieu of settling for the hope of "lightning in a bottle". My thoughts may change as the season progresses however! I do agree this is not an attractive job at all, and we don't have the money to make anyone ignore the stink.

Walton won’t be a starter. This team will be versatile there’s a big line up I think we’ll see a little bit with Aziz and Freeman imagine trying to score in the paint against those 2. Castaneda will be our starting PG though I’m hearing Clarke will play less than he did last season.

You want a coach who will be liked by Ohio high school coaches. The guy at Hoban comes with a lot of baggage related to recruiting, etc.. Bunch of HS coaches would love to get even with him. Back in the late 1970s, Akron was considering Barberton's Jack Greynolds for the BBall job that ultimately went to Bob Rupert. Greynolds had alienated so many other high school coaches that he'd have had a hard time putting five talented men on the floor.

I know it’s not the popular thought in this thread but I feel like making a coaching change now is starting over anyway. This current team is very young and has shown some signs of having some good talent. I kind of want to see where this goes without uprooting everything again right now. That said I do think there is a glaring weakness on defense on the outside. I don’t know if it’s a lack of speed, players in the wrong position, or misreads but every time an Akron opponent heads for the sideline during an offensive play I cringe because the Akron players are always three steps behind.

It's not the greatest winning % but I think he could have much better success coming home to Akron. It would be well received, probably a boost in attendance and a safe pick. HS coaches around Akron love Coach Winters. Let's face it, we are not the most desirable destination right now.

Paul Winters career HC record. 63 years old.

There is one IDEAL candidate for the job - PAUL WINTERS!! UA HOFer Class act Good track record (Wayne State could likely beat us) Great mentor Loved by the community and local HS coaches I know he has bad feelings for UA but things can be worked out. They need to be worked out. Best of all, I don't think he would leave no matter how successful we become.

How about a guy who makes changes after one game with 2 sideline infractions, let alone all three home games!!!

Last time around, the finalists were Arth, Ivin Jasper (Navy OC), and Stan Drayton (Texas RB at the time). I would love to have been a fly on the wall in whatever hotel conference room it was that the decision was made among the hiring committee. I get the whole NeO thing, but at the time Arth had proven that he was a shaky D1 coach at best. I would need to take some time to do research on who I think would be a decent candidate or realistic candidate, as the present conditions both in the program and university as a whole affect what that list might look like. Hell, Arth hasn’t even been fired yet and Lord knows when he even will be.

Vince Kehres

I don't think it's it is as simple as making the right coaching hire. Akron has to change. I am not sure that the U has the will or means to do that. In addition to proper X"s and O's skills, 1. He has to understand that the job involves the public and the need to raise money. Tom Arth didn't seem to u derstand this part of his job. 2. The right connections to get quality assistants and recruits referred to them. Tom Arth did not have those. 3. He has to be a motivator.

Chris' final stats: He got into two more games before the season ended: JT's final numbers: Brubaker

I hate to see anyone get fired, especially the head coach of my team BUT I truly expected to see Arth let go this morning. It needs to happen now. Players and recruits need to see there is a commitment to winning.

The Athletic Director for each hire was not the same, but some of the assistants were. UA Athletic Department staff who were involved in the hiring of iCoach and Arth should not be allowed to participate in the next one.

But it worked at John Carroll...

They need to take the big payday from the Tennessee game and pay this bum off. Do it now. Name an interim coach. Anybody they name couldn't do a worse job than Arf. Then start a real search for a real HC.